The important things in life...

Playing with Great Uncle James

I have been meaning to blog, no really it's true. But sometimes life just gets in the way, you know? My uncle and cousin who live in Kansas came into town last week so we spent all our free time with them. Family has always been really important to me. In fact I would say the biggest struggle in my life has always been spending time with people I love versus all my other responsibilities. I think this stems from experiencing death at a young age. I have always appreciated the fact that I have such a large, loving family. When my great-grandmother passed away when I was in high school the thing that upset me the most was that my two youngest cousins wouldn't even remember they had met her.  I just don't want to ever have the regret that I had the chance to spend time with someone I love, didn't and now it's too late.
I hope that I can teach this to Amelia. How important and special relationships are and how blessed we are to have so many wonderful people in our lives. This is why I want to make a commitment for her to see her grandparents at least once a week. I want to be more committed to using Skype to keep up with our international family. I've recently reconnected with my father's family and while I doubt I will ever be able to do the same with my father it is nice to have even more people to love.

30 day Project

Remember this? Yikes!

This month I am challenging myself to get our house clean and organized. We recently decided that even though we would like more space we couldn't afford to more just yet. Even though we aren't moving I decided we need a change. I've come up with ideas for rearranging the future, and I want to deep clean (as if we were moving out) the house so it feels new. After three years, I haven't done to much with the place and I want it to be more put together and feel more like home. I also get tired of running around crazy picking up when someone unexpected shows up or it taking a whole day of cleaning to get this place presentable to have friends over. So, my deadline is July 1. I want to have each room cleaned, organized and as decorated as our budget allows. I will be taking before and after pictures and updating through out the month. I found a website to help me along, it's called Organized Home. They even have a 2011 New Year's Cleaning Challenge outline here. I am adapting it since I have a much smaller space than it's designed for. Would anyone out there like to join me? I'd love to have the support but just knowing people are following along would be great. :)

First up: The Kitchen
I actually have this almost done so I will post pictures probably Monday with a summary of what all I did. :)

Nighty Night

This is what the last two nights have looked like at our house. When we brought Amelia home from the hospital we didn't have a crib. So, we improvised and let her sleep with us. It's not that we are regretting it. The situation actually kinda works for us. When I was getting up every morning before 6am to go to school I just didn't have the energy to fight with her. It was also convenient for breast feeding. When she woke up to feed, she was right there and we both would go back to sleep easier because of not having to fully wake up.

I've been told we are going to regret it and that babies need routine/a schedule. Since summer time means waking whenever I choose, I have decided to work on this. We are not on a 7pm bed time. That just isn't our life style right now. We don't have a constant babysitter which makes it hard to create a routine that early. I have been getting her to bed by 10pm most nights. I thought starting a routine at that time would be a good start. We take a bath every other night, put on her pjs, then read a book and I sing to her while she nurses.

This worked the 1st night but last night not so much. I sang to her for over an hour, until I ran out of soft slow songs to sing. Finally about half an hour before midnight I laid her in the crib half asleep and let her "cry it out." HARDEST. THING. EVER. seriously. I was literally sitting on the couch willing myself to stay there while all I wanted to do was run up the stairs and comfort my little girl. She eventually cried herself to sleep. She slept a whole 3 hours before waking up to eat and we started all over, only this time I didn't make it. She ended up in our bed the rest of the night.

Tonight went better and I am going to be strong when she wakes up to eat this time. Curtis says the neighbors are gone for the summer (they're students) and so I don't have to worry that she is keeping anyone up. I'd like to say that this is making me get better sleep but it's not. I worry all night, imagining SIDS and other uncontrollable tragedy, but eventually I think I might. 

Summer Reading

My favorite part of summer, besides it being warm enough to swim, is that I have time to read.  It's not that I hate everything I have to read for school but it's mostly technical. I like fiction every once in a while, you know? So, I have already made my reading list for this summer. It's mostly books I've gotten as gifts during the school year and now I actually have time to enjoy them.

 First up is the Annotated Sense and Sensibility edited by David M. Shapard. I read his annotated version of Pride and Prejudice about a year ago and loved it. I've always had a great affection for Ms. Austen but Shapard's notes add a lot of deeper understanding to the circumstances of the plot and knowledge of the culture at that time. Shapard has annotated 3 of Austen's 6 books so far (my 3 favorites, P&P, S&S, and Persuasion.) I really hope he continues because there are parts in Mansfield Park that discuss theology and parts of the satire in Northanger Abbey I would really like explained in depth.

If you are a fan of Jane Austen I really encourage you to read one of David M. Shapard's annotated versions of her books. You will come away even more impressed with her.

Amelia's First Swim

Yesterday we went to Houston to visit my sister and brother in-law. Amelia was a great little traveler again. She is so good on car rides. I hope that continues as she gets older. We had very nice weather and the apartment complex has a pool...well, you can put 1 and 1 together. We went swimming! Here are a few highlights. 

Aunt Vicki came up with a creative floaty.

She liked swimming. She kicked her feet a lot.

Amelia was a little young for her float. She didn't stay in it long.

The Great Cloth Diapering Adventure: Cloth Diaper Review

It has been almost a week since we started our adventure, and it has been just that.  Let me start off by explaining I am not a cloth diaper expert. I haven't read everything that there is to know and I don't follow all the "rules." I am learning as I go and figuring out what works for us. I don't believe cloth diapering is for everyone. I'm not even convinced yet it's for us. My intention is to tell our experience in the hope that it will give others help and insight in making their own completely personal decision.

My husband was not very enthusiastic about the idea of using cloth. The thing that won him over was the cost. We are on a very limited budget. So, the fact that for about $300 we could outfit Amelia's diapering needs until age 3 was a big advantage to our budget. The biggest disadvantage would have to be dealing with the poo.

I don't have a weak stomach, dealing with poo doesn't phase me. My husband on the other hand has a strong gag reflex when it comes to those kind of messes. He can't deal with cleaning up a puppy mess so, the idea of just taking a diaper off and throwing it away is very appealing to him. I totally understand this and if you are like my husband I would not encourage you to try cloth diapering. 

First off, what are we using? This is where I did do some research. I have a cousin who swears by cloth diapering and I got a lot of advice and tips from her. Through looking at different websites and talking with my cousin I decided that I was only interested in one size all in one diapers. I think you can never really know what will work for you until you try it but I narrowed it down to three brands; Fuzzibunz, bumGenius, and Charlie Banana. All are very similar in design, but there are a few differences that may matter to some.

Charlie Banana and Fuzzibunz

bumGenius (button and velcro)

Charlie Banana and Fuzzibunz both have three snaps on the outside. The only difference, which I think is an advantage, is that Charlie Banana diapers have a "female" end of a snap between the top two males allowing for a tighter fit. This is nice if you have a tiny/skinny baby like Amelia. The bumGenius button version only has 2 buttons. My husband likes this better because it is a little less complicated when diapering a squirmy baby. The velcro bumGenius also work well for skinny babies. The ones I have were hand me downs from my cousin. The velcro is a little worn out but you can buy replacement tabs from bumGenius that are pretty easy to sew on yourself.

All four types of diapers use a numbered elastic system for the leg holes. As baby grows you just unbutton the elastic and re-button it on the next size hole. It can be a pain if you lose hold of the elastic and it gets pulled back up inside, but it only took us a couple of minutes to get it back out again. 

While the Charlie Banana and Fuzzibunz are basically the same there is one difference that matters to me. It has to do with how the insert is put into the diaper. In the fuzzibunz the insert is put in at the back. The diaper is basically just open in the back. This makes taking the insert out after the diaper has been used easier but it also makes the back less secure to the baby while being worn. We haven't had a blow out yet but I feel like it would be more likely with the Fuzzibunz. The Charlie Banana (and bumGenius) inserts are put in at the front and the opening is covered by a flap. It's harder to get in and out but the fit of the diaper is a lot more snug, making blow outs less likely. We haven't experienced a blow out yet but she has leaked through a diaper at night. This was easily fixed by doubling the insert. We haven't had a problem since.

I will continue to update periodically about our adventure. So, far I feel like it's working for us. I do about a load of diapers a day, normally at night before bed. It hasn't added much to my chore list. I also think we will be able to keep it up once school starts. If you have questions about anything, feel free to leave a comment. I'm not an expert but I'd be glad to share what I do know.

Today has been one of those days with Amelia. I am pretty sure she is teething. She is drooling constantly and "chewing" on her hands a lot. She is also fussy for no reason, making today a very difficult one. I tried to be productive and continue my quest for a clean house but my efforts are to scattered to be evident. I washed some clothes, picked up here and there but nothing really looks improved. Oh well, such is life with baby.

I wanted to give an update on the great cloth diapering adventure but that seems like it will have to wait until tonight when Amelia has gone to bed...